Azaram, Son of Korath
Azaram, Son of Korath, also known as Emperor Azaram Dev' vo' Kahless, First of his Name, was a highly influential religious, military, and political figure in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. He was the undisputed founder of the Red Path religious order and ruled as God Emperor of the Klingon Empire from 2421-2422. He is widely believed to have been a clone or reincarnation of Kahless The Unforgettable and is thus referred to in Red Path society as Kahless-Called-Azaram. In 2422, during the Second Bajor Incident, Azaram was killed by Crystalline Entities while initializing the Orb of Restoration. He was played by Collin Kelly. Personal History Early Life Family History Korath, son of Pah'qOq , orginally of House Monak, earned infamy early in his career with the Klingon Navy, when he partidipated in the ill-fated Federation/Klingon mock-competetion known as "The Outreach Games". Merely a cadet at the time, Korath had encounted a young Jean-Luc Picard , then an ensign, who would defeat him him by a narrow margin of victory. Coming in second to Picard, Korath's swore vengeance on the man for the dishonor dealt to him in front of the entire galaxy. This dishonor would serve as fuel for Korath. As captain of the ISS Boreth, a B'rel-class Bird of Prey, Korath earned renown for himself as a cunning warrior,earning the Sword of Honor and the Kahless Medal at the Battle of Khitomer . It was as the founding father of Klingon Temporal Physics however that Korath truely made his name. A vastly intellegent man, he was also incredibly strange, his personal piccadillos only accepted by society because of his martial prowess. In secret, he developed a technology known as a "Chrono Deflector", a device that allowed him to travel through time. Already father to Khaegor , it is at this point that Korath's personal time-line becomes difficult to fully parse. With the ability to travel through time a closely held secret, it was the birth of his second son, Azaram, that Korath began to show signs of increased oddity, marked by an increased lack of focus, an inability to complete sentences and a very un-Klingon tendency to read the works of the other galactic races. In the year 2371, Korath assembled his crew for what would appear to be the last time. Utilizing his Chrono Deflector, Korath would make one final play upon the life of Jean Luc Picard, pulling his ship the USS Enterprise into the past. It was said that Korath's death happened during the Earth year 1997, over the skies of a city called Las Vegas. Childhood on Qo'noS Born the second son of the proud Korath family, Azaram was a weak, small child. Quickly earning a reputation for soft spoken words and contemplative moods, Azaram was not only considered unfit to serve in either the Klingon Military or Navy, but was deamed "too small for science", a damning comdemnation from his family and peers. Childhood was difficult for young Azaram. Though his family was well respected with a seat on the High Council, with his father's death the family began to decline. Though the family was able to maintain many of their holdings, notably a summer estate in the Fire Cliff reagion of Kutabi in the classic Obsidian style, as well as a modest Temple of Kahless within the lower reaches of the First City. While Azaram was allowed to train with a bat'leth, Azaram shared many of his father's tendencies towards the quieter arts of reflection and reading. Upon advice of Captain Qo'Tat, a friend of the family and influencial leader in hsi own right, Azaram was prepared for a cloistered life upon the ice-planet Boreth . At the time, the life of a monk was considered to be one step above farmer - a life without honor. Knowing this was to be his fate, young Azaram quickly grew hostile, brooding, and distant. He was sent to Boreth in 2370. Mere months before his father's disappearance, and presumed death. Conflct with Khaegor The elder brother of Azaram, Khaegor was no more hateful than other Klingon boys, except in one respect: while it was clear that Khaegor would achieve great things for the house of Korath, it was obvious to the boy that he was not the favorite of his father. Azaram wrote a particularly telling account of time spent with his brother, from before he was shipped away. While most of Azaram's early writings were lost following his death, this particular excerpt exists as part of the Book of Azaram, The Truth of Brothers . Red Path Historians have pondered if perhaps, due to the Khaegor's future infamy, his brother desired at least one record of the man's potential for kindness to survive through the ages. "His fist was harder than anything I’d ever felt. I was still a boy – this was before my father left us. We were at the summer house near the Flame Cliffs of Kutabi. Khaegor and I had begun wrestling, encouraged by my father’s friend and commander, Captain Qo’tat. It had begun harmless – Khaegor delighted in slapping my face until my cheeks were red. But with Qu’Tat watching, this time, I did not let it stand. The pride of a boy, too often beaten. I used my thumb, and jabbed it into my brother’s ear. To hear him tell it, I almost plucked his brain from his head, and the pain was almost unimaginable. I weighed less than a targ pup, I can’t imagine it hurt him. But the pride of an older brother, showing pain in front of a seasoned warrior… Within moments, he had me on my back. His fists fell like hammers. I felt the cartilage in my nose split. The bones in my jaw shattered. I tasted blood in my mouth, like hot iron. And then he got off me. Qo’Tat hadn’t said a word, hadn’t tried to stop him. I could see the grown man clutching his dak’tag, a hunger in his eyes – hungry for more pain. More suffering. '' ''My brother wiped my blood from his hands. He was done fighting. “Get up Azaram”, he told me. Not a command, or an order. Advice. “Sto’Vo’Kor isn’t for little brothers who bleed in the dirt.” “It is for little brothers who never give up.” Development of the Red Path Monastical Period on Boreth The cold world of Boreth was no fit place for an angry child, and Azaram did not take well to the inforced isolation. (See the introduction and conclusion to The Lesson of Ice for the only remaining first hand account). After many years however, his anger and questioning nature gradually subsided, not unlike a man commiting himself to death. This attitude was no uncommon in acolytes of Boreth - many novices killed themselves, or simply disappear into the cold and are never recovered. Wandering into the wilderness during a particular brutal ice storm, Azaram sought his death (though many Red Path Apologists would argue that Azaram-Called-Kahless was merely seeking his as unknown glory). Preparing to die, the Klingon was faced by a winter-starved saber cat. Fighting the beast with his dak'tagh and teeth, Azaram vanquished the beast, but not without cost. As he lay dying, he witnessed a vision: ''In the temple, everyone is dead. Blood on the walls. The Statue of Kahless cries blood... and than it has no head. '' This was the first vision of Azaram-called-Kahless, and the inciting incident of the religious phenomena that would be called the Red Path . The First Red Path Temple As the years past, the strength of Azaram's vision would seize many of the faithful upon Boreth, untill the fledgling philosophy reached a size neccesitating space off world. In the burroughs of Qu'no'os First City, the House of Korath owned a modest temple honoring Kahless. The family of Azaram granting him this structure as a boon, and the young leader quickly began proletizing from it's battle arena. Without yet having a book to be distributed, the word of the Red Path was spread purly through these daily sermons, as well as word-of-mouth. Exile from Qo'noS The Coup of Qi'Lop On the Holy day of Qi'Lop, Azaram, on behalf of his family, organized a tournament in honor of Kahless. Not officially a Red Path event, the victor of the tournament would be officially welcomed into the House of Korath. Winning this honor was a woman known then as Tavana (who would later be revealed to be the deep cover Romulan agent Ariennye T'Galatheon). Embraced by the family, Azaram lead Tavana to the Imperial Council chambers for the religious ceremony. The Betrayal of Khaegor Unknown to Azaram, his brother Khaegor had already put in motion a plan to see the once-great family returned to greatness. This plan involved a secret massing of ships, and a sudden and violent invasion of Federation Space. In a public and brutal beheading, Khaegor executed his father Korath, as well as attempting to take the life of High Chancellor Martok , with the blessings of The then Emperor Kahless II, in actuality a clone of Morath . Escape from Qo'noS Chased from the city, Azaram, along with Tavana and Martok, commandered a ship and crew that was loyal to the High Chancellor - the heg'tah class Bird of Prey Pa'qul - and escaped. It was at this time that Tavana revealed herself as a Tal Shiar deep cover operative. These events are recounted in the Book of Azaram, The Words of Azaram . The Romulan Agenda Seeking safe haven from the Klingon war machine, and perhaps an alliance with the Romulan Star Empire, the Pa'qul crossed into the Romulan Nuetral Zone and into the Nequiencia System. There, it was met by the Romulan ship Theseus, and it's commander Maeic . After heated words, Mayek - who had been Ariennye's handler for the entirety of her deep cover operation - burned her as an agent, turning his forces on the ship. Returning to the Pa'qul, the crew was in open mutiny, held together by the will of Martok. Turning their rage on the Romulan forces, the Pa'qul was victorious and escaped. It was at this point that Azaram united the crew, re-christening the Pa'qul the Quv vo'Kahless with his own blood, and dedicating it and it's crew to the Red Path. Though burned by her people, Ariennye refused to be turned from her cause; inspired, Azaram took the ship deeper into Romulan space, continueing to seek an alliance with the Romulans. Reaching the Dederedex system and it's massive ship yards, Azaram and Ariennye established contact with the Romulan Administrator Jhu . After much negotiation, they established an agreement: The Romulans would come to Azaram's aide in defeating Khaegor's forces, as well as upgrade the Quv vo'Kahless with advanced technology and reenstate Ariennye within the Tal'Shiar. In return, all they desired was what they had always desired: a new Homeworld, to replace the one that was lost. They also asked for collateral, as a show of good faith: Azaram gave them Martok, with the man's permission. The Battle of K-7 The Federation Outpost station K-7 had issued a distress beacon, which Azaram had decided to ignore in favor of the attempted Romulan negotiations. That choice would haunt the man, as the station was found to be gutted, the first casualty in Khaegor's invasion. Encountering the Federation starship the Miranda C which accused the Quv of the act of agression, Azaram held Star Fleet at bay while Ariennye boarded the station and recovered evidence that the Quv vo'Kahless was not, in fact, at fault for the station's destruction. These events are recounted in the Book of Azaram, in the days after. Alliance with the Federation Guided by the Miranda, the Quv vo'Kahless arrived within Earth Orbit, where Azaram met Commander Data , of the USS Majestic: Azaram was much taken with the human food "gumbo ", prapared with gagh. Peacefully bringing their cause to the Federation heirarchy, Azaram and Ariennye found both Councilman Grkarh K'Tolka and Admiral Riker to be ammeable to the quest to procure the Romulan's a home world, cementing an alliance to stand against the Klingon threat. It was at this time that Azaram encountered agents of the man known as Section Prime for the first time. The encounter was a bloody affair. As a show of good faith, Riker requested that the Quv vo'Kahless join the USS Majestic in an anti-Breen action over the Alpha quadrant planet of Bajor; eager to cement relationships, Azaram agreed. The Battle of Bajor Endlessly open to interpretation, historians to this day have argued over the finer points of this controversial action, dubbed the Battle of Bajor . Though this would be the planet of his death, Azaram for his part had very little to do with the direct actions of this battle. Immediately cloaking his vessel once entering the orbit of the planet - citing Kahless' own words "only a fool fights the storm" as his battle strategy - Azaram found himself faced with a fleet of Cardassian ships, led current Admiral of the Free State, then Prince, Barada Damar . Damar - who would play a large role in the Red Path as well as the retaking of Qu'noS, would face at Bajor what many would describe his greatest defeat. Though records of the event are spare, it is believed that Damar's bravery in defeat is what first brought his Path to the attention of Azaram. The Quv vo'Kahless would engage in a minor action on the main conflict's flank, in which the ship would destroy three of four heavily fortified Breen cruisers. Upon the arrive of the beings known as Crystalline Entities , Azaram was said to have for the first time sensed his deeper psychic abilities, his heritage of being a being only once removed from the ancient race of First Klingons, engineered by the tyrant Iconians , specifically the rebel Molor . Both Starfleet vessels - the USS Majestic with its Captain Data, and the USS London , were brought down in the conflict. Dropping cloak and exposing themselves the the Entities, Azaram was able to rescue 250 of the Federation crew, including the ship's first officer, the Vulcan Nezak . Nezak then beamed two beings from the surface of the planet, a Vorta and a Jem'hadar - later be identified as Yeor Worldbreaker and Zero Godkiller - into the brig, but under their own volition the two quickly escaped. Tactically retreating from the conflict, the Quv vo'Kahless was pursued by a Crystalline Entity, but Azaram's ancient and to this day mysterious connection to the creature facilitated their escape. These events are recounted in the Book of Azaram, The Lesson of Ice . The Red Path Resistance Relationship with Nezak The Gamma Trianguli Expedition Assembling An Armada The Invasion of Rura Penthe Divine Revelations The Sword of Kahless The Memory of Kahless The Klingon Revolution The Summit at Rura Penthe The Qo'noS Invasion The Death of Morath The Two Man War Reign of the God Emperor The Klingon Reformation The Paladin Program Death At Bajor The Orb of Restoration Circumstances of Death Conspiracy Theories